Bound groups of sheets and method of binding the same



Dec. 28, 1943.- w. G. READ BOUND .GROUPS OF SHEETS AND METHOD OF BINDING THE SAME Original Filed March 17, 1941 4 Sheet s-Sheet 1 De c. 28, 1943. w. READ 2,338,059

BOUND GROUPS OF SHEETS AND METHOD OF BINDING THE SAME Original Filed March 17, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zizvewior J3 M5526 M 2 I. I iivrg ey Dec. 28, 1943. w. G. READ 2,338,059

BOUND GROUPS OF SHEETS AND METHOD OF BINDING THE SAME Original Filed March 17, 194] '4 Sheets-Sheet 3 3.? j l yni 6 15 35 35 1Z- 21 37 15 37 13 14 57W 37W 14 Patented Dec. 28, 1943 UNITED STATES Tsar BOUND GRDUPS OF SHEETS AND METHOD 9 Claims.

Generally stated, the objects of this invention are to facilitate the making of accurate records and transcriptions thereof and to reduce the cost of clerical work and office devices in the larger business and government oflices.

A particular object is to provide a novel method and means for joining together a multiplicity of separate sheets in imbricated, overlapping relation in groups of predetermined or varying numbers of sheets so that a full, consolidated page of information may be transferred to or from the group of sheets in one operation and the consolidated pages of information may be broken down into a multiplicity of individual units each comprising the information on a single sheet.

Another object is to provide a novel arrangement of tapes or narrow strips for binding groups of individual sheets together securely in either imbricated or edge to edge, spaced relation to each other for the purposes described or for other purposes which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

A further object is to provide a novel method for connecting separable sheets together in overlapping relation and with predetermined or accurately uniform portions of the several sheets exposed whereby cumulative errors in the spacin of the exposed portions ar avoided.

Other objects will appear and be more fully pointed out in the following specification and claims.

I join the sheets together by the use of narrow strips of adhesive tape extending in parallel relation to each other along the lateral margins of margins may be trimmed off or cut to separate the sheets after theinformation has been transferred to or from the bound group of sheets. The tape is preferably applied to both 1e front and back of the sheets so that each unitary sheet is securely joined to the other sheets of a group at all four corners This insures against inaccuracies and non-uniformities in the location of the units of information when they are transferred to or from the groups of sheets as a complete consolidated page.

The product of this invention may be used for the preparation of groups of pay checkswith or without attached statements to employees of their earnings, individual deductions, etc. and for distributions to accounts and a great variety of other statistical purposes. The present application is a division of my application Serial No. 383,694, filed March 17, 1941, for Machine for binding groups of unit sheets.

Divided and this application June 3, 1942, Serial No. 445,589

The accompanying drawings illustrate a suitable machine for carrying out my invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the'machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a, bottom plan View of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line t-t of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line ?1 of Fig. 6; r

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1; j

Figs. 9 and 10 are sections taken respectively on the lines ..-9 and til-4i] of Fig. 3 and illustrating details of the tape feeding and guiding mechanism;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged diagrammatic View illustrating the operation of the machine, and

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a typical group of pay checks with attached statements, as produced by my invention.

The machine has generally parallel, side frame members it and i2 constructed from sheet metal, Flanges it? along the bottom edges of these frame members are provided with rubber feet M. A bed l5 having a substantially plane top surface is rigidly secured to and between the frame mem bers H and I2. This bed is preferably disposed at a slight incline and the sheets as they are assembled are carried on the connecting tapes from right to left as seen in Figs. 3 and 11, up the incline. A recess in the top surface of the bed i5 is provided tocontain a transparent plate It beneath which a guide sheet or master form may be placed. The plate i6 preferably extends entirely across the bed l5 and is readily removable for the insertion of the guide sheets beneath it.

The frame members i i and I2 are formed with upwardly projecting bearing supports l 7 near the delivery end of the machinewhere a pair of coacting, soft rubber rollers 58 and iii are mounted for drawing the sheets and connecting tapes through the machine, ashereinafter described. As best shown in Figs, 6 and 7, the lower roller I9 is mounted on a shaft 26] having bearings 2| secured to the frame members H and E2. The upper roller is is mounted on a shaft 22 journaled in bearing blocks 23 which are slidable vertically in guide slots 2% in the frame members l7, respectively. Thrust screws 25 are threaded in bearing caps 26 and are adjustable to compress springs 21 which are interposed between the lower ends of these screws and the upper surfaces of the slidable bearing blocks 23. By turning the screws 25 the compression of the springs may be adjusted to regulate the pressure exerted between the bite of the rollers l8 and [9.

At one end the shaft 22 projects from the bearing 23 and has a hand wheel 28 secured to the projecting end for manually turning the rollers. The opposite end of the shaft 22 has a toothed pinion 29 secured thereto. This pinion is arranged to mesh with a pinion 30 fixed on an end of the shaft 2!! so that the rollers are rotated in unison. The teeth of the pinions 29 and 30 are sufficiently long to maintain the driving connection through the range of relative movement of the rollers required for drawing assemblies of sheets of varying thickness between the rollers.

Rolls 3| and 32 of narrow adhesive tape are mounted in spaced, coaxial relation to each other beneath the receiving end of the bed l and parallel strips 33 of this tape are fed from the rolls along the top of the bed l5 and plate 16 and between the bite of the rollers l8 and I9. Similar strips 34 of adhesive tape are fed in registry with the top of the strips 33 from a pair of rolls 35 mounted above the bed l5 near the discharge end thereof. Both the strips 33 and 34 are preferably of the Scotch tape type with adhesive on one surface only. Each strip 33 has its adhesive surface uppermost as it passes along the bed l5 to adhere to the bottom surface of the sheets thereon and the strips 34 have their adhesive surfaces presented downward so that they adhere to the top surfaces of the sheets to be connected. When no paper is positioned between the strips 33 and 34 they adhere to each other so that they pass freely between the rollers I8 and IS. The rolls 3i and 32 are mouted on non-rotary reel supports 35 and rotary reels 31. The reels 3'! are removably attached to the supports 36 by ax al screws 38 so that the rolls may be readily replaced when the supply of tape has been exhausted therefrom. Similar reels and axial screws are provided to revolubly support the rolls 35. To avoid loosen ng of the screws 38 by normal rotation of the reels. the threading of the screws is suitably arranged, one being right hand and the other left.

For most forms, the adhesive tape should be applied to the lateral ed es of the sheets and in order to adapt the machine to receive sheets of different d mensions, I make t e tape reels readily adjustable across the machine. To this end the reel supports 36 are secured to bars 38 extending longitudina ly beneath the bed l5 near opposite sides. As the reel supports at oppos te sides are similar it is only necessary to describe one of them. At one end each bar 39 has a projection M engaging a bearing M which is slidable along a guide rod. 32 having its ends fastened to the frame members ii and 12 respectively (Figs. 1, 4 and Threaded in the opposite end of the bar 355 is a clamp ng screw d3 (Figs. 3. 4 and 8) extending u throu h a guide slot M which is parallel to the rod 42 and in which a metal guide clip 45 is slidable. The screw 43 passes through perforations in the guide clip 45 and in a flange 46 formed on a reel support 4'! for the roll 35. By tightening the screw 43, the bar 39 and reel support l! may be secured in adjusted positions within the limits of the guide slot 44 which extends entirely across the bed l5. It will be evident that the tape rolls carried by the supports 36 and 41 are thus adjustable as a unit crosswise of the machine and that the supports for the tape rolls at the opposite side of the machine are similarly adjustable.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the bars 39 are connected to systems of lazy tongs 48 which retain these bars in parallel relation to each other during adjustment of various positions relative to the bed of the machine. These systems of lazy tongs are severally anchored along the center line of the machine to fixed members 49 which are mounted on the bottom of the bed I5. Such means for maintaining the parallelism of the bars 39 may be omitted as the bolts 43 and set screws 52, presently to be described, retain the tape reels in adjusted positions.

To guide the tape from the roll 3i to the upper surface of the bed, I provide a small roller as which is freely revoluble on a bushing 51, as shown in Fig. 10. This bushing projects within the slidable head 4| along the rod 42 and has its ends swaged outward to confine the roller iii against the end of the head M. The latter may be secured against movement along the rod 42 by tightening a set screw 52 which is threaded in the head H and bushing El and impinges against the rod 42. The tape from the roll 3| is guided in a groove 53 formed in the periphery of the roller 523 while tape from the roll 32 is guided by a roller similar to the roller 53 and similarly connected to supporting bar 39.

Each strip 34 of tape is guided as it leaves one of the rolls 35 successively over rollers 54 and 55 shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9. These rollers are revoluble on supporting bolts 55 and 51, the bolt 55 being threaded in the reel support ll and the bolt 51 having lock nuts 58 for movably fastening it to said support. Limited vertical movement of the roller '55 is afforded by forming a vertical slot 59 in the support 41 in which the bolt 5'! is guided. By its own weight the roller 55 is thus caused to ride on the margins of the sheets as they pass through the machine and to press the strip 34 of tape upon the exposed portions of the successive sheets. Rotation of the several tape reels 31 is retarded by friction created between small springs 31a mounted on the supports and resiliently engaging the peripheries of the rolls.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 11, a master form or guide sheet 60 may be placed beneath the transparent plate It. This form has parallel guide lines 6! printed on its top surface. Such lines extend across the machine as guides for the locat on of the superimposed and successive, individual sheets 62!. The sheet 68 may also have the information which is subsequently to be transferred to the sheets 62 displayed thereon in appropriate columns.

In cases where a multiplicity of sheets t2 are to be connected in imbricated relation to each other, the successive sheets are so placed in registry with the lines 6| that the exposed margin of each sheet corresponds in width to the spacing of the lines 6|. Thereafter information duplicating the master sheet 6!) is transferred to the bound group of sheets. For example, where the individual sheets 62 comprise payroll checks in blank form they may be fastened together by means of the adhesive tape, as illustrated in Fig. 12, so that the exposed parallel margins are arranged to receive the names of the payees, their classification designations, statement of earnings, deductions, and amounts due, all of which data is transferred from. a page of the payroll or master sheet containing the consolidated data in tabulated form.

Operation Details of procedure with diiferent forms or even with the same form may be varied. One method of procedure which produces groups of sheets as illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 is here set forth in detail. The spacing of the adhesive strips 33 and't l is first adjusted to correspond to the length of the sheets 62 to be bound together and so that these strips will be applied along both side margins as the sheets are placed on the plate It. The strips 33 have their adhesive sides up and the strips 34, with adhesive sides down, are superimposed thereon and the two non-adhesive tapes thus formed are passed between the bite of the rollers l8 and it in properly spaced and parallel relation to each other. A guide sheet oil is placed under the transparent plate is with the guide lines 6i extending at right angles to the strips 33. Now the operator places the first sheet 62 face downward with its forward margin covering the first line of data found on the guide sheet 60 and with the forward edge of the sheet in registry with the appropriate line 8!. As the operator positions the sheet he merely presses on the margins above the strips 33 which adhere to the sheet; The next. sheet 62 is then placed in overlapping relation to the first sheet, but with its'forward edge projecting beyond that of the first sheet a distance equal to the spacing of the next guide line ill. As a part of this operation the two front corners of the second sheet are pressed against strips 33 which hold them securely, This operation is repeated with additional sheets until a number corresponding, line for line, to the page of information represented by the sheet 6! has been assembled.

When one group of sheets in this imbricated relation has been completed, the operator turns the wheel 28- in the appropriate direction to draw the group first beneath the strips 34 01"- adhesive tape and then between the rolls l8 and 55:. After thus clearing the working area of the plate it, other groups of sheets are assembled and joined together in similar manner. It will be evident that as the top strips 34 are applied, they make contact with and adhere to the rear edge corners of the successive sheets of a group, thus completing the fastening of each sheet at its four corners. For each succeeding group anew mas ter sheet may be substituted for the sheet til beneath the plate it. Ordinarily the adhesive tapes connecting one group of sheets to another are not severed until all of the groups for the entire payroll have been imbricated, connected together and discharged from the machine. 7

In some cases it is advantageous to use a blank guide sheet 68 and retain the master forms or payroll sheets bearing the consolidated information in a pile beside the machine. done the lines 6! are utilized to obtain uniform spacing, of the edges of the sheets but the number and character of the sheets placed in each group is determined by the successive master sheets located at one side of the machine. When a group of checks with attached employees statements, such as that illustrated in Fig. 12, has been produced, the tabulated data comprising a full page such as the master sheet is trans ferred to the blank checks in one operation, as

When. this 33 and at one side of the machine imbricated sheets.

by the use of a ditto or duplicating machine. Subsequently the individual checks, with their attached employees" statements, are separated from each other merely by trimming or cutting away the margins where the adhesive strips 33 and 34 connect the sheets together. As thefinal operation, the checks may be passed through a check writing machine which fills in the amounts to be paid, signatures and other data required.

My improved machine may be quickly adjusted to accommodate forms of various lengths merely by adjusting the spacing of the adhesive strips relative to those at the opposite side, as hereinbefore describe-d. The rolls of tape may be quickly and easily mounted in the reels, those beneath the bed being readily accessible as well as those on the supports 3?. It will also be evident that any weight or type of paper can be accommodated and that the machine will operate with forms of widely different dimensions within the limit established by the maximum spacing of the adhesive tapes on the bed. To correspond to other office appliances, a maximum width of seventeen inches is at present sufiicient. No adjustments are required for the machine to handle sheets of various lengths longitudinally of the adhesive tapes.

A further important feature of my invention is my arrangement whereb such slight errors as may be made in accurately locating or spacing the edges of the successive sheets in a group do not affect the accuracy of the result because they are not cumulative. By locating the guide sheet Where it is visible on the working surface the accurate location of the successive sheets is greatly facilitated. This makes it safety within the skill of an ordinary operator to produce uniform spacing of the sheet edges so that alldanger of transcribing the wrong information on any of the sheets is eliminated.

Each bound group of sheets corresponds accurately to the number, nature and spacing of the items on the master or guide sheet. This has important advantages because it is frequentl desirable to reproduce skipped lines or multiple line entries on the bound unit sheets according to the guide sheet. For example, one or more employees whose names are listed on the guide sheet may have been transferred to a diiferent classification or for other reason are not entitled to receive a pay check, the fact being noted on the guide sheet. In such case the groups of payroll checks, when assembled according to my invention, do not include checks to such transferred or eliminated employees and the result may be obtained by substituting a blank. slip or form, other than a check, at the appropriate point in assembling the In other cases the information which must be transferred to a particular unit sheet may require the space occupi d by a plurality ofordinary lines, whereas, other unit sheets of the same group require but a single line of information. This condition is met by merely varying the lapping of the corresponding unit sheets when they are assembled on the binding tapes. My invention thus meets the requirement for variations in an otherwise uniform record ofitems of like character.

Manual operation of the sheet moving rollers l8 and H! has been found to be sufficiently rapid for the great majority of the operations required of the machine but it will be evident that a power drive may be provided for the rollers if desired.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of binding unit sheets together which comprises, extending flexible tapes having adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other on a supporting surface, indicating a predetermined spacing of the sheet edges along said tapes and retaining the tapes in fixed spaced relation to each other While superimposing the sheets successively upon said tapes and causing at least two spaced portions of each sheet to adhere to said tapes respectively simultaneously with the application of the respective sheets to the tape whereby the sheets are bound together in a flexible group by said tapes.

2. The method of binding unit, rectangular sheets together which comprises, extending flexible tapes having adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other on a supporting surface, indicating a predetermined spacing of the sheet edges along said tapes and retaining the tapes in fixed spaced relation to each other while superimposing and simultaneously affixing the end margins of the sheets successively upon said tapes while overlapping said sheets in imbricated relation to each other whereby the several sheets are bound together as a flexible, consolidated page by said tapes.

3. The method of binding unit sheets together which comprises, extending flexible tapes having adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other on a supporting surface, indicating a predetermined spacing of the sheet edge-s along said tapes and retaining the tapes in fixed spaced relation to each other while superimposing the sheets successively on said tapes and causing spaced marginal portions of each sheet to adhere to said tapes respectively as it is placed thereon, thereby forming a group of sheets bound together at one face, then applying a second pair of adhesive tapes to the opposite face of the group so formed and causing the several sheets to adhere at spaced points to the second pair of tapes respectively.

4. The method of binding rectangular sheets together which comprises extending a pair of flexible tapes in parallel spaced relation to each other on a supporting surface, said tapes having nondrying coatings of adhesive on their upper surfaces and being without adhesive on their bottom surfaces, indicating a predetermined spacing of the sheet edges along said tapes and retaining the tapes in fixed spaced relation to each other while superimposing the sheets successively one on another with their end edges in alignment and their side edges spaced in imbricated relation to each other upon said tapes, causing opposite corner portions of each sheet to adhere to said tapes by applying pressure thereto simultaneously with the application of the respective sheets to said tapes and to the previously placed sheets, then superimposing a second pair of adhesive tapes having similar adhesive coatings to the opposite surfaces of the several sheets along the end margins thereof and causing said last mentioned tapes to adhere to additional corners of each sheet by applying pressure thereto.

5. A group of unitary and separable forms comprising, a multiplicity of rectangular sheets of equal length overlapped in imbricated relation to prises feeding endless tapes each other and with side edges aligned, in combination with a binding of thin, flexible tape extending along each side margin of said imbricated sheets in overlapping relation to both surfaces thereof and secured thereto by adhesive whereby each of the several sheets of the group is bound to the other sheets thereof at all four corner portions of the exposed sheet margins.

6. The method of binding unit sheets together to form a consolidated page which comprises extending tapes having adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other on a support, indicating a predetermined spacing of the sheet edges along said tapes and retaining the tapes under tension and in fixed spaced relation to each other while manually superimposing the sheets successively one on another with an edge of each projecting in spaced parallel relation to an edge of the preceding sheet and in contact with said tapes and causing marginal portions of each sheet to adhere to the several tapes as each sheet is superimposed on the other sheets.

'7. The method of binding unit sheets together to form a consolidated page for regularly spaced items which comprises extending tapes with adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other on a support having associated therewith guides for indicating the spacing of the items, manually superimposing the sheets successively one on another with an edge of each projecting in spaced parallel relation to an edge of the preceding sheet according to said guides and in contact with said tapes and causing marginal portions of each sheet to adhere to the several tapes simultaneously with the placing of each sheet on the previously placed sheet.

8. The method of binding unit sheets together to form a consolidated page which comprises feeding tapes with adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other along a predetermined path on a supporting surface, retaining said tapes in fixed, spaced and parallel relation to each other while superimposing the sheets successively one on another with an edge of each projecting forward along said path and in spaced parallel relation to an edge of the preceding sheet and in contact with said tapes, causing marginal portions of each sheet to adhere to said tapes as each sheet is placed thereon and removing the binding tapes and consolidated page of sheets so formed from said supporting surface.

9. The method of binding unit sheets together to form a series of consolidated pages which comhaving adhesive coated upper surfaces in parallel relation to each other, step by step, to and from predetermined sheet receiving position on a supporting surface,

retaining said tapes in said sheet receiving position while superimposing thereon the sheets for a page and placing an edge of each sheet so that it projects in spaced parallel relation to an edge of the preceding sheet along said tapes, causing marginal portions of each sheet to adhere to said tapes, and continuing the step by step advance of the tapes and attachment of groups or sheets thereto until the desired number of pages of consolidated sheets have been bound together in readily separable groups.

WORTH G. READ. 

